The present invention is directed generally to the treatment of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia and, more particularly, to an improved apparatus and method for treating neonatal hyperbilirubinemia.
Excessive levels of serum-bilirubin in newborn infants causes a condition called neonatal hyperbilirubinemia. Hyperbilirubinemia is treated by irradiating the affected infants with therapeutic levels of light within a given wavelength range (e.g., within the blue light range of the light spectrum). For best results, the blue light radiation should be evenly distributed over the entire surface of the affected infants' bodies.
One conventional treatment method requires placing blue light sources above the affected infants' hospital cribs and irradiating the infants from above. While this "overhead" phototherapy treatment has provided satisfactory results, the infants must be rolled over (from their fronts to their backs, and vice-versa) during treatment to insure even distribution of the blue light radiation. In addition, the use of overhead light sources results in less free space being available in typically cramped hospital rooms.
A second conventional treatment for hyperbilirubinemia includes a self-contained therapy apparatus for supporting and irradiating the affected infants. The apparatus includes a circular phototherapy hood having an array of blue light sources. The affected infants are placed on a sling-type support frame that is slidably received within the circular hood. The blue light sources are arrayed to provide a near-uniform distribution of radiation along practically the entire surface of the infants' bodies. While this "all around" treatment method has its advantages over the "overhead" treatment method described above in that it practically eliminates the need for rolling the infants over during treatment, the apparatus is expensive, is not adaptable for use with regular hospital cribs and, because it is a self-contained unit, is not readily portable.
In addition, because the blue light radiation should be evenly distributed over the infants' bodies for best results, conventional treatments have used active arm and/or leg restraints to keep the infants from rolling over or otherwise moving during treatment. As can be imagined, these active restraints have caused the newborn infants to become uncomfortable and restive during treatment.